Game tickets for random draw games are provided to players through the retail market using authorized ticker vendors. The vendors are often quick stop retail convenience stores having impulse-type point-of-purchase cashier stations, but may be also be stand-alone kiosks or cashier stations in other retail establishments. The vendors operate a random game terminal that has a communications link with the provider of the random draw game. The game terminal includes a printer on which game tickets are printed for the player. The game ticket includes printed information about the game ticket. This information typically includes a grid of the game numbers for play on the game ticket, as well as information as to the sales date and time and the date of the game to be played. The game ticket also displays a unique authorization or identification code associated with the game ticket. This code may be used to verify the authenticity of the game ticket in the event the game ticket is randomly selected to be a winning ticket in the random draw game. Often the game ticket encapsulates the game ticket information into a machine readable code printed on the ticket. The game terminal may include a scanner configured to read the code so that the terminal may interpret the code and generate a digital representation of the game ticket information.
Players may select to have a ticket issued for particular numbers specified by the player or alternatively have the ticket issued with randomly generated numbers. The player specifies the numbers for a game by entering the numbers on a game number sheet. The terminal receives the game number sheet in a document reading scanner and prepares the game ticket for the player.
While the present ticket distribution apparatus and methods provide for players of random draw games to obtain game tickets, there are drawbacks to such. The game slip is manually completed. A ticket generated following an incorrect scan must be destroyed, unless the player decides to keep the ticket. Of course, random generated numbers do not have that problem. However, random generated game tickets do not permit a player to observe the random numbers and then manually remove one or more such numbers for a number selected by the player.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved apparatus and method by which a player of a random draw game may obtain a game ticket selectively for play during the game. It is to such that the present invention is directed.